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It was 7:30am when the alarm went off and the final day of Horrorhound Weekend began. In lieu of the previous night, it was a minor miracle I didn’t have a hang-over though this should not suggest I was feeling anywhere near 100%. The non-stop activity, coupled with lack of sleep, had begun taking its toll and I quickly dressed before heading to the hotel lobby in pursuit of free coffee.

Their “complimentary breakfast” was in full swing and I grabbed a bagel before joining Brian and some other guy he was conversing with. I was so groggy, it was midway through breakfast before I finally realized the other guy was Woody the Clown in street clothes. The eatery was connected to a faux living room complete with couch and TV. As my eyes began focusing, I noticed The Perfect Storm’s Rusty Schwimmer sitting there while having a conversation with a friend.

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We arrived at the convention hall early so Brian could set up his booth. While he was preparing, Pat Priest a.k.a. Marilyn Munster walked by and noticed one of Brian’s posters featurng The Munsters. Brian gave her a free copy and asked if she’d sign one for him as well. She happily agreed and was one of the nicest people you could ever meet. There’s something to be said for “celebrity endorsements” as a few on-lookers immediately bought themselves a print from Brian before seeking Ms. Priest’s signature.

This Horrorhound Weekend featured a few cast members along with one of the killer cars used in the movie Christine. The owner of this particular model, Bill Gibson, was on hand to answer questions while showing off his iconic vehicle in an effort to raise money for charity. Although over twenty cars were used in the movie (now celebrating its 30th Anniversary), there are some misconceptions regarding how many are still out there.

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Dr. Destruction tapes a segment with Christine!

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After leaving Brian’s booth, I stopped over and interviewed Bill who was very learned on the topic and, aside from owning one of the cars, had also amassed a collection of Christine items including just about every version of Stephen King’s book ever printed!

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I’d brought along a digital hand-recorder and the goal was for me to interview Bill and include it in a Terror on Tequila pod-cast featuring Killer Cars. Jason and I had already taped the show (and you can listen to the current version by clicking the Pod-cast link at the top of this page) and we’d hoped to edit the interview in for a better (and more accurate) presentation. With relations between he and I having gone south, those pod-casts are currently on hiatus. I’ll be posting a written version soon instead.

Christine was located towards the back of the main hall and near a door vendors were using to get in and out of. As I was talking to Bill, I noticed the last person who’d entered had their coat wrapped around their mouth for protection amid big, fluffy snowflakes. Throughout the weekend a mild panic had been swirling around the convention center concerning news that a major snowstorm was headed towards Cincinnati and poised to engulf the Midwest by Sunday morning.

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Apparently it had arrived on schedule…

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I walked back over to Brian’s booth and said goodbye before heading out. As I left the building, there was still a big line of people wanting to get in with few having dressed appropriately for the elements. As I passed the end of the line, I saw a woman holding up a sign that said, “If you have an extra pass, please help us!” I have to say that I thought the request was pretty ballsy and was initially annoyed by it.

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“So how is that working out for you?,” I asked with a smirk.

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“Not good.” she admitted. “I already have a pass but my friend here doesn’t and I don’t want to go in without her.”

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Apparently being in full projection mode, my perspective immediately changed. Someone willing to brave a snowstorm out of devotion towards a pal? How comforting to know that, in some circles, loyalty still exists among friends.

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The time had finally come for me to admit that, despite my getting irked with Dr. Destruction’s incessant concern, I really had been bummed about this being my first solo Terror Dave adventure. Obviously I’d done many events on my own before but missed sending my co-blogger/best friend my updates, awaiting his reaction to what was going on, while picking things up for him that I know he’d like. Consequently, I never walked into any convention feeling as alone as I did at this one.

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Prior to leaving for Cincinnati, I’d gotten a letter from Cinema Insomnia’s Mr. Lobo offering his condolences and stating, “I’m sure the real difficulties for you lie in not having someone on your side…someone in the foxhole with you.” That was never truer than now and, although his not being at my side wasn’t at the forefront of my mind, it had definitely been playing in the background like that crappy elevator music you hear at department stores.

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I took off my wristband.

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“Here,” I said, while handing it to the woman. “It’s a vendors pass so your friend should have total access.”

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I started to walk off when the woman yelled, “Hey Mister!” I turned around and she ran up and gave me a big hug. The embrace lingered to the point that you’d of sworn I’d just saved her life. Well, I suppose an argument could be made that I saved at least four hours of it. I gave her a smile and headed to my car…my Horrorhound Weekend having officially ended.

Congratulations on an EXCELLENT series of posts. I’ve been following along but wanted to wait until the conclusion to comment. Never been to a horror convention so I appreciated the in-depth coverage, and the anecdote about giving your pass to the woman was the perfect ending. Great work as always, Dave.

Thanks, Patrick! I really appreciate your comments! Usually when I attend these events I have a specific plan as to what/how many posts I’ll be doing for it by the time I make it back home. THIS one, however, just sort of wrote it itself and I wasn’t sure where it was going to take me until I’d finally reached the station. I tried making more of a “diary” format too which, me being more of an emotional writer anyway, probably wasn’t much of a change. LOL! It was nice being able to “pay it forward” with that lady at the end, considering that pass had been given to me out of someone else’s kindness. I do urge you to give a horror convention a try some time. As you can see, it’s quite an experience!